Equal Time With Martha Burk

Can you really make social change through music?  Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon are icons of the protest songs of the '60s and '70s. Notice anything?  Try this . . . .

Quick – who discovered America? If your mind instantly jumped to Columbus, you’re with the vast majority of U.S. citizens. Since 1937 when President Roosevelt bowed down to the Catholic poohbahs of the Knights of Columbus by establishing Columbus Day as national holiday, generations of students have been taught that the Italian explorer “discovered” our country. But ........

Love it or hate it, we're in a brand new election year. What with the lowest rating for Congress in history and the gridlock on Capitol Hill, this may seem like less than the greatest news.  But women ought to be pretty enthusiastic. Women can control any election, and are letting the candidates know it. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to out-Trump Trump in his early bid to be the 2024 presidential nominee. Contrary to assertions that most immigrants are rapists and criminals, the majority of people migrating to our shores from other countries share one thing in common. Real immigration reform must take into account the unique needs of this group working to become U.S. citizens.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham drew a bead on women last week when he fired off a bill in the Senate that would outlaw abortion nationwide. But alas, he missed his mark – the shot hit the Republican party squarely in the foot.

With the right to bear arms no matter the consequences firmly established in U.S. law and psyche of its citizens, the NRA has to push new laws to stay viable and keep Congress and state legislatures firmly in its political pocket. One of the more dangerous so-called gun rights the group has cooked up is "campus carry".Will students heading back to college this month be packing heat along with the books and booze? In eleven states the answer is yes, with more on the way.

Labor Day was created in the 19th century by the unions, to celebrate the economic achievements of American workers. But if we look at the 21st century “economic achievements” by U.S. corporations in taking advantage of their low wage employees, we might as well rename it Labor Exploitation Day. Big low-wage employers are now issuing ATM style "payroll cards" instead of paychecks, costing low wage employees hundreds of dollars a year just to access their money.

NASA is planning a new moon shot in a couple of years, and a test flight blasts off August 29, 2022. So what's new?  Under the Artemis program, the Launch Director is a woman -- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, and the staff  responsible for launching the  rocket to send the spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth, is about 30% women.  

Women have made steady gains in many areas since they got the right to vote in August of 1920, but there is still work to do. When elected officials refuse to back pro-woman policies, today's females should borrow a page from the suffragists and use their votes to hold elected officials accountable.